In anticipation of getting into the 4 x 18650 flashlight scene I got myself some high performance Sony VTC4 18650 ( Brutal Test ) to be sure that the batteries were not holding back the flashlight . Nothing quite letting the dogs run so to speak and in this case allowing a flashlight to show its true potential . The SupFire M6 is rated at some 2000 Lumens output on high and that is in no way a outrageous claim . In fact with the M6 stuffed full of Sony VTC4 batteries I was a little surprised that such a well priced light performed as well as it did .

On opening the box I was pleasantly surprised by the M6's build quality , as well the fit and finish . Anodizing looks really good and the M6 screws together really well . Stuffed full of 18650 the M6 is a very hefty bit of hardware weighing in around 615 grams ( 0.615 KG ) , so not a pocket light . Not even a jacket light I dare say as that's over half a kilo of portable sun that needs to be carried .

The 18650 are put into the M6 in parallel , that's negative to the tail and positive to the head for all 4 batteries . The light starts in high mode and cycles through medium / low - strobe - SOS and then turns off . There is no memory and you will start in high every time you turn the light on . Now if you don't want to cycle through all the modes to turn the light off simply old down the ON switch till the light turns off , less annoying than cycling through the flashy modes .

Running the light on high for more than 5 minutes in some very warm weather ( I think it was close to 30deg Celsius ) one night I was amazed that the light did not get hotter . It got warm , but I was expecting it to get blister forming hot considering the output on high . So apparently there is some very good thermal control taking place as there was very little output sag on high when I was testing output in the light box . Oh there was sag , but it was so small and slow that I never really expected a light in this price bracket capable of such good performance .

SupFire USB Charger :

I did throw in the SupFire 18650 ( 2 ) to test the charger and see if it has a tendency to overcharge . After several hours on the charger and the charger still charging my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to pull the batteries and do a voltage check . The first battery was at 4.25 volts and the second battery was on 4.24 volts . Now a small amount of overcharging is not the end of the world ( 4.25v is where I draw the line ) but it did not look like the SupFire charger was going to stop charging . So I would suggest that the included charger is not suitable for unmonitored use . ( Get a better charger )

SupFire 18650 ( 2000mAh ) :

So far I have only discharged these for capacity and I got ... 1714 mAh discharged 2s ( 2 batteries in a series ) I did this to see if the batteries are well matched for capacity ( saves time discharging two at the same time ) . After discharging one battery was @ 2.67 volts and the other was @ 3.26 volts . So the batteries are not that well matched for capacity . How ever they did discharge well and performed on par with the Sony ( Same output in the M6 ) .

SupFire M6 :

Stuffed full of Sony VTC4 18650 the performance of the SupFire M6 was a surprising 30% more than the claimed output . With the M6 rated for some 2000 Lumens output I was able to record a high of some 2600 Lumens ( And change ) . On medium the M6 pushed out some 1260 Lumens and on low the M6 did some 215 Lumens . I would trade the flashy modes in a heart beat for more output options . The SupFire M6 makes all my other flashlights look , well quite weak really . Even in medium mode the M6 just pumps . I already mentioned the good heat regulation and the lack of any serious output sag . In about a minute of use on high this M6 might have dropped around 150 Lumens and you could not feel anything ( Warmth ) . And I would say its all down to the heft of this light , SupFire has put in enough metal to absorb any heat produced in a relatively short run . Sure those P60 lights are light and easy to carry , but once you start pushing serious power through them the output sag can be horrendously bad and I have seen 50% drop in output in a minute of use . Don't get me wrong , I love my P60 hosts , but they are not really good hosts for High Power . The M6 is no light weight pocket flashlight ( EDC ) , but when you need power and quite possibly extended use power . The M6 looks to deliver .

Lock out - If you untwist ( open ) the body ever so slightly you will break the + - contact and effectively lock out the batteries . I would suggest doing this if you plan on keeping batteries in the M6 as the ON / OFF button is some what soft ( could be activated by accident ) . The on off button is not crappy , but quite good actually . Though it is soft enough that if the light was stored in a glove box or trunk of a car the light could be turned on with a bump .

The SupFire M6 does indeed impress , it is well made and performs 30% better than advertised . I simply can not fault the M6 , I just wish the same could be said for the bundled charger and batteries . The charger is a no show and I highly recommend you buy a proven charger , the batteries are not bad as they actually do outperform a Nitecore battery I have . Ok they are not that well matched for capacity but then you don't need to discharge the 18650 to the point where it would be a problem . 3.5v is where variance usually begins to kick in and as long as you re-charge before then , the included batteries should work well .

Is there anything I would change ? Yes - Get rid of the flashy modes ( or hide them ) , add more light levels .. 50 lumens and 500 lumens would have been nice . I don't mind the function off the interface , but having to cycle through the flashy modes is a little annoying ( When I forget to press and hold to turn the light off ) . In all honesty , 2600 Lumens is really impressive . ( Even medium is impressive - a genuine 1260 Lumens ) The gap to 200 lumens is huge and 500 would have bridged that gap nicely and for those really dark places 50 lumens would have been plenty for walking around light .

Seriously , for the $$ this is a lot of light for the money . The build quality is really impressive .

6) Cycles through all modes unless you press and hold till the light turns off

7) PWM = Yes its there , and in low it is just noticeable

Lanyard = Put it on a smaller lighter light ( Its nice but - the M6 is heavy )

9) Untwist the body to lock out the batteries

10) Tail stands ( Like a house brick )

11) Batteries are ok - charger is not

12) Well packaged ( Nice box )

13) A score out of ten for the box set - 8 out of 10

14) A score for just the SupFire M6 - 10 out of 10

15) I would really like to see a few more light levels and maybe remove or hide the flashy modes .

16) For the price the M6 is going for , I was really impressed . I was not expecting the M6 to push out over 2000 Lumens , I did expect 1500+ and maybe touching 2000 and the lack of massive output sag , WOW ! Just color me impressed .